Disturbance and Recovery of Arctic Alaskan Tundra Terrain. A Review of Recent Investigations.

• Main Authors: Walker,Donald A, Cate,David, Brown,Jerry, Racine,Charles
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1987
• Subjects: Geography; Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Water Pollution and Control; *TUNDRA; *TERRAIN; *PERMAFROST; DAMAGE; ALASKA; NORTH(DIRECTION); RECOVERY; VEGETATION; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT; HUMANS; PIPELINES; ROADS; DUST; HYDROCARBONS; SEA WATER; SPILLING; OIL SPILLS; OFFSHORE; OIL FIELDS; Revegetation; Anthropogenic disturbances; Impoundments; Environmental disturbances; Trails; North Slope of Alaska; Sea Water spills; Arctic; Ice; north slope; permafrost; Tundra; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA184442; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA184442

This report summarizes over a decade of CRREL-managed research regarding disturbance and recovery in northern Alaska. Themes emphasized include: 1) Most anthropogenic disturbances have natural analogs, which can provide much inexpensive information that can be related to modern disturbances and their rates of recovery. 2) Most single-event disturbances will heal and develop a functioning ecosystem within a human life span, but a return to the original ecosystem can rarely be expected for major impacts. 3) The concept of recovery must be based on consistent terminology that recognizes the distinction between ecosystem resistance (the ability to withstand impact) and resilience (the ability to return to the previous undisturbed state) and also the distinction between complete recovery (a return to the original ecosystem) and functional recovery (the development of a functional ecosystem different from the original). In permafrost regions with massive ground ice, recovery of the vegetation is limited by alterations to the permafrost regime.